Markus + Micah

And the results of my German A1 exam are in!

First of all, it has been two weeks since I traveled to Manila. No COVID-19 symptoms so all good! I am happy to report that I was not infected during my Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Start Deutsch 1 exam.

This is my biggest concern actually, not because of myself, but I worry about passing it on to others, especially my parents. That would be a bummer.

Fortunately, we have no bad news like that, and even more good news, because I passed my exam:

12 Common houseplants I am currently in love with

I have not done a plants post in a while so what better way to catch up than share some of my favorite plants? There are plants at every corner of our tiny house and I honestly love them all. However, there are some that I just go nuts over every time my eyes land on the leaves. Check them out below and tell me I am crazy.

1. Norfolk island pine

A quick thought on water

Two fish pass each other in the water. The one says: “The water’s nice today.” The other replies: “What’s water?”

Dear turtle friends, your eggs are now turtles

Since we shared our pawikan conservation project in Pag-asa, Bagac, Bataan, The Philippines, over 3000 baby turtles, locally known as pawikan, have hatched and were released back into the sea. We cannot say it enough, but thank you very much for your support!

I took the German A1 exam at Goethe Institut in Makati PH and here’s what happened

Exactly a year after my last visit to Manila, I made the trip again to take my Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Start Deutsch 1 or beginner German language exam at the Goethe Institute in Makati, Philippines. It felt so weird to pack my things and go somewhere during this time but I am happy I was able to finally take the test after being stalled by the pandemic.

Easily win arguments with this simple trick

Of course you could always just say “yes”

In a nutshell, the trick is: Don’t try to win, try to solve. These are the 4 components that I found are required to do this right.

It is always tea time at Cafe Domingo + Tiny House

I do not have a dream dinner date but I would be thrilled to get invited to the March Hare’s Tea Party. Or perhaps I should just invite myself like Alice did?

I would wear my white knee-length dress with black foliage print and sit perhaps between the Mad Hatter and the narcoleptic Dormouse.

Why I thought I cannot live without meat

Markus and I no longer have meat cravings, but when I smell barbecue or fried chicken, my brain still tells me something out there is delicious. I just do not want to eat it.

A tale of misunderstanding, Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This photo was taken a few months after I started traveling in 2017. In the photo, I’m sitting on the steps of the staircase leading up to the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Batu Caves are a sacred Hindu site that is incredibly popular, both with the faithful and with tourists. It is a beautiful place, complete with giant statues of Hindu deities, several temples, and – how could it be different – scores upon scores of monkeys.

Free as a bird?

This guy landed next to us a few months ago.

We all know this popular turn of phrase. It seems to come so naturally. Is there anything freer than a bird? How amazing must it be not to have these challenges, obligations, emotions? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just spread our wings and fly away, our earthly tethers removed?